1+1 Mesh Protection

1. A 1+1 mesh protection method comprising: receiving a request for a 1+1 protection service at a network element in a mesh network; provisioning a first connection in the mesh network at the network element based on a service profile; provisioning a second connection in the mesh network at the network element based on the service profile; determining if provision parameters of the first connection and the second connection are compatible; setting up the first and second connections if the provision parameters are compatible; and rejecting the first and second connections if the provision parameters are not compatible.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first connection is one of a working connection and a protection connection and the second connection is the other of the working and protection connection.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the provision parameters of both connections are compatible, if both paths have the same bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the provision parameters of both connections are compatible, if both connections have a similar payload type.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the payload type is at least one of SDH and Sonet.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein setting up the first and second connections comprises: sending out a setup request for each of the first and second connections; and creating cross-connects for each of the first and second connections after all network elements along each connection in the mesh network accept the setup request.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: automatically calculating at least one of a first route for the first connection and a second route for the second connection using a routing subsystem of a signaling and routing protocol, and wherein the setting up the first and second connections is performed using a signaling subsystem of the signaling and routing protocol.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the signaling and routing protocol is Optical Signaling and Routing Protocol (OSRP).

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: explicitly defining at least one of a first route for the first connection and a second route for the second connection, and wherein the setting up the first and second connections is performed by using a signaling subsystem of the signaling and routing protocol.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: bridging traffic received on a common path to both the first connection and the second connection.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: monitoring the first connection and second connection at the network element; and automatically restoring a failed connection within the mesh network upon detecting a failure in at least one of the first connection and the second connection.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: selecting traffic on one of the first connection and the second connection, based on signal quality of the first connection and signal quality of the second connection.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mesh network is an optical mesh network.

14. A 1+1 mesh protection system comprising: a provisioning module configured to receive a request for a 1+1 protection service at a network element in a mesh network and to provision first and second connections in the mesh network at the network element based on a service profile; a detection module configured to determine if provision parameters of the first connection and a second connection are compatible; and a setup module configured to set up the first and second connections if the provision parameters are compatible and to reject the first and second connections if the provision parameters are not compatible.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first connection is one of a working connection and a protection connection and the second connection is the other of the working and protection connection.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the provision parameters of both connections are compatible, if both paths have the same bandwidth.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the provision parameters of both connections are compatible, if both connections have a similar payload type.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the payload type is at least one of SDH and SONET.

19. The system of claim 17 , further comprising: a module configured to send out a setup request for each of the first and second connections; and a module configured to create cross-connects for each of the first and second connections after all network elements along each connection in the mesh network accept the setup request.

20. The system of claim 14 , further comprising: a module to configured to automatically calculate at least one of a first route for the first connection and a second route for the second connection using a routing subsystem of a signaling and routing protocol, and wherein the setup module use a signaling subsystem of the signaling and routing protocol to setup the first and second connections.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the signaling and routing protocol is Optical Signaling and Routing Protocol (OSRP).

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein at least one of a first route for the first connection and a second route for the second connection is explicitly defined, and wherein the setup module uses a signaling subsystem of the signaling and routing protocol to setup the first and second connections.

23. The system of claim 14 , further comprising: a bridge module configured to bridge traffic received on a common path to both the first connection and the second connection.

24. The system of claim 14 , further comprising: a path monitor module configured to monitor the first connection and second connection at the network element; and a restoration module configured to automatically restore a failed connection within the mesh network upon detecting a failure in at least one of the first connection and the second connection.

25. The system of claim 14 , further comprising: a selection module configured to select traffic on one of the first connection and the second connection, based on signal quality of the first connection and signal quality of the second connection.

26. The system of claim 14 , wherein the system is at least one of a network element, a computer readable medium, and an optical signaling and routing protocol.

27. A 1+1 mesh protection apparatus comprising: means for receiving a request for a 1+1 protection service at a network element in a mesh network; means for provisioning a first connection in the mesh network at the network element based on a service profile; means for provisioning a second connection in the mesh network at the network element based on the service profile; means for determining if provision parameters of the first connection and the second connection are compatible; means for setting up the first and second connections if the provision parameters are compatible; and means for rejecting the first and second connections if the provision parameters are not compatible.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 , further comprising: means for automatically calculating at least one of a first route for the first connection and a second route for the second connection using a routing subsystem of a signaling and routing protocol, and wherein the means for setting up the first and second connections is a signaling subsystem of the signaling and routing protocol.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 , further comprising: means for monitoring the first connection and second connection at the network element; and means for automatically restoring a failed connection within the mesh network upon detecting a failure in at least one of the first connection and the second connection.